Jeopardy! champ Ray LaLonde's competitor opens up on his 'impactful' off-stage behavior after their
JEOPARDY! super-champion Ray LaLonde, who lost on Tuesday after 13 wins and $386K total, has had quite the effect on one competitor along the way.
Emily Kawaler, who nearly beat Ray herself, shed light on how kind he was off stage.

Jeopardy! contestant Emily Kawaler - a bioinformatician from New York, New York - barely lost to champ Ray before he himself lost.
The lead flipped back and forth between Ray and Emily before his eventual 11th win.
Although Emily was ahead at $14,200, she missed the final question, which cost her the win - it was a wild episode as a result.
The former fierce foe of the latest game show champ, who was defeated three games later in the same last round, revealed the streak-holder won her over before they played.
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'THAT MAN WAS RAY'
"When I arrived on the #Jeopardy set, I was super anxious," Emily posted to Twitter.
"But the guy sitting in front of me turned right around and started chatting.
"He was friendly and welcoming and I immediately imprinted on him like a baby duckling. That man was, of course, Ray Lalonde."
A user replied: "Was there any increased fear or pressure brought about to the other contestants when he was introduced as a champion?"
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Emily wrote back: "I actually met him before knowing any of that!" and he "humbly" revealed he was a winner to her.
"He was so nice it was hard to be intimidated by him, but really we should have been!"
One user applauded: "That’s the Canadian in him. It’s in our genes. You certainly gave him a run for his money!"
"So sweet thanks for sharing," wrote another.
RAY'S LAST DAY
Ray's loss on Tuesday was one for the books even though many viewers didn't want to see him go.
He and the other two players were within $1K of each other going into Final Jeopardy all three were correct, Ray losing by a mere $456.
In fact, the Ontario, Canada TV set designer won many of his episodes by the thinnest of margins, making for great TV.
Instead of "Daily Double" hunting like 21-time winner Cris Pannullo from earlier this season, Ray, who revealed he's watched Jeopardy! since its original host Art Fleming, went 12/14 in Final Jeopardy.
As a result, he won his 13th game by a scant $100 and indeed, his game with Emily was similar.
Also, unlike Ray, Cris was said to have spoken to no one before his games - The U.S. Sun was exclusively told.
EVERYONE'S SWAYED
Ray is one of five siblings and has a twin brother "in the process of auditioning for Jeopardy! right now."
He also shared while competing he's a proud father-of-one, says "please" when asking for clues, and many viewers love his "sexy narrator voice."
Some harsh critics had taken to various online forums to complain that as the contestant responds to clues and keeps winning, he was also constantly swaying back and forth.
On the show's podcast Inside Jeopardy, longtime producer Sarah Foss acknowledged the show is aware of his swaying too: "Ray, He kind of likes to move back and forth during his gameplay. Which is difficult for our camera operators."
"So he may or may not have gotten the nickname 'Ray the Sway.'"
"But Ray, however, it is you like to win Jeopardy!, you do you!"
According to TBS News Watch, the reasoning behind Ray's swaying is more than justified, it's due to a medical ailment.
The outlet wrote: "He suffered some spinal cord damage over a period of years, and had to work hard to prevent muscle spasms in his legs while he was on camera."
During another recent win, Ray thanked the crew on stage for being so accommodating to him.
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Ray's streak ended with him having one of the 16 longest streaks of all time and one of the best averages on Final Jeopardy.
Over the summer, Ken and actress Mayim Bialik were officially announced as the permanent replacements for the late longtime host, Alex Trebek.

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